Explore the new Grist Miller’s House and learn about the historical significance of the Colonial Industrial Quarter on the Birthplace of Industry tour. The tour, which starts at the House, also visits the 1750/1761 Smithy; the 1762 Waterworks, the first pumped municipal water system in the nation; the 1761 Tannery; and the Luckenbach Mill.
Located adjacent to the Luckenbach Mill, the Grist Miller’s House, home to Bethlehem’s miller and his family in the 18th and early 19th centuries, stands as a gateway to Bethlehem’s Colonial Industrial Quarter, a location that in the mid-1750s was home to approximately 50 crafts, trades and industries, making it the first industrial center in the nation.
Listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, the Grist Miller’s House was completed in 1782 and expanded in 1834, serving as a residence from the 1830s until the 1970s. In 2024, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) embarked on a major renovation project to restore the House. Following extensive structural repairs and reinforcements, the external steel beams that were in place for two decades to help stabilize the walls were removed in September 2024, marking a major milestone in the project.
The revitalized Grist Miller’s House was designed by preservation architect Christine Ussler and Artefact, Inc. Over a 10-month span, the exterior and interior were restored and renovated to accommodate the building’s new use as an interpretive and educational space. Several architectural elements, including the wood windows, hardwood floors and sections of stairs were carefully repaired and reconstructed so that the new blends seamlessly with the original construction. The result is a historically accurate space that will serve as an interpretive and educational center for school groups, residents and visitors from around the world interested in learning more about unique Bethlehem’s history and the Moravian Church Settlements, Bethlehem World Heritage Site.
Highlighting the revitalized Grist Miller’s House will be the Ralph G. Schwarz Center for Colonial Industries, focusing on the early industrial trades and crafts in Bethlehem, and bringing to life the way in which early Moravians joined art and innovation to improve daily life within their community.
A longtime resident of Bethlehem, Ralph Grayson Schwarz (1925-2018) was a driving force in preserving Bethlehem’s Moravian heritage and recognizing the city’s rich industrial history. His efforts played a key role in Bethlehem being designated Pennsylvania’s first Historic District in 1961 and during his lifetime, Schwarz served in leadership roles at the Bethlehem Visitors Collegium, the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, Historic Bethlehem Partnership and Historic Bethlehem Inc., a nonprofit organization that supported the efforts to preserve the city’s colonial-era buildings. These organizations, along with Burnside Plantation and the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts Inc., collectively became Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites.
To honor Schwarz’s legacy, the Schwarz Center will focus on sharing Bethlehem’s Moravian and industrial history and culture through exhibitions, a shop showcasing handmade works by local artisans, educational programming space for students and more.
In the near future, the Grist Miller’s House will also be joined to the Luckenbach Mill by the Overlook on History, a stunning, enclosed glass walkway designed by nationally renowned architect David Scott Parker. Overlook on History will feature programming space, exhibitions and offer a panoramic view of the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
Funding for the Grist Miller’s House was made possible thanks to a federal Save America’s Treasures Grant; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program; County of Northampton; Bethlehem Historic District Association; and the donors and supporters who contributed to HBMS’s Taking the World Stage Capital Campaign.
Below are Experiences happening at 1782 / 1834 Grist Miller’s House.
On Birthplace of Industry, sparks will fly as a certified guide dressed in 18th century Moravian attire leads you through what is widely regarded as the nation’s first industrial center, the Colonial Industrial Quarter.
Come explore the rich history of the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, and the Grist Miller’s House for FREE, every first Sunday of the month from February through November.
This workshop focuses on the sgraffito technique used by 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania German potters to make expressive designs in their folk-art pottery led by Master Artist Denise Wilz.
